<body><h1>Rules for Effective Shopping</h1><p><br></p><p> Now that you understand the ingredients and just how the business of sports nutrition works, you should be much better prepared to make the most out of your hard-earned money. To that point, I have assembled five simple rules to remember when shopping. I strongly suggest you follow them any time you plan on spending significant money on performance-enhancing supplements. It may take a little work to follow these rules, as they require figuring out on your own what you need to meet your goals. But I assure you, the time it takes to make up your own program will be well worth it in the long run. Once you know what you are looking for, you are the one calling the shots. All the celebrity endorsements, fancy boxes, and outrageous advertising claims melt away. What is left is an honest assessment of a supplement’s worth, and your interest (or not) in using it. </p><p> </p><h2> Rule #1: Ignore marketing claims</h2><p> Advertising tends to come from the marketing department, not the laboratory. The people that write the copy for these companies are generally not scientists, but creative writers and advertising executives. You are better off ignoring all marketing claims. Look only at what is substantial about the product, not what an ad-copy writer wants you to think so that you will buy it.</p><p> </p><h2> Rule #2: Look at ingredients and dosages only</h2><p> Most companies make their products by finding one or two commodity ingredients to work with, and blending them up with many other components to make the formula look good. The more ingredients and the less information they give you, the harder it is to determine the value of what you are buying (and likely the more money they can charge for it). You should look at two things on the label above all else. Look to see what ingredients are in the product, and then in what dosages are they used. Nothing else on the label matters.</p><p> </p><h2> Rule #3: Make a list</h2><p> You should already be looking for specific ingredients when you begin your shopping. List them before you visit the store. Design your supplement program first, and find the products to fit it. Also remember that you are very likely to spend much less buying a few individual single-ingredient products, than looking for fancy multi-ingredient formulas that have everything you are looking for in one. </p><p> </p><h2> Rule #4: Try individual ingredients first</h2><p> The response to supplementation can be a very individual thing. What works extremely well for some people may not work the same way for you. There is no use continuing to spend money on something that doesn’t work the way you need it to. The best way to avoid this is to try each key sport supplement individually before you build combination programs using them. This will give you a chance to learn exactly how your body responds to a particular ingredient. Use it for a good amount of time so you are sure (several weeks at a minimum). Once you discover those basic products that you respond very well to, you are then in a much better position to organize supplementation programs that make use of several products at once (without wondering what is, and is not, helping).</p><p> </p><h2> Rule #5: Find companies you can trust</h2><p> Sports nutrition is a very large industry. There are many companies to choose from when shopping. As we have discussed, there are many companies with good reputations and products of high value. There are also many companies much more focused on their margins than your results. Generally, companies are fairly consistent with how they handle themselves. Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the market, and have discovered those companies with good reputations and products that meet your needs, try to stick with them. The better companies take customer loyalty very seriously, and will undoubtedly be trying to retain your business.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p></body>
